Internship fair visits Union

Dressed formally in ties and skirts, nearly 1,200 University students sought summer employment yesterday at the annual Internship and Summer Job Fair in the Michigan Union.

From management and marketing institutions to public relations and computer programming companies, students had about 70 organizations to choose from.

Coordinated by Career Planning and Placement, the event is one of many organized by CP&P that connects students with employers, said Judy Lawson, director of student affairs at CP&P.

"This is a great place for students to explore their options and it is always encouraging to see such a turnout," Lawson said. "U of M students obviously have a great interest in attaining opportunities like summer internships and the big turnout today reflects the students initiative."

EMILY NATHAN/Daily Eric Olmo, a Gateway 2000 representative, sets up a table yesterday at the job fair in the Michigan Union.

While many students sought employment opportunities related to their future career plans, some simply were looking for career ideas.

"Since I'm going into medicine, I'm looking for a position as a research lab assistant, or something that will give me experience in that field," said LSA sophomore Candice McNeil.

"I don't know exactly what I want to do, but I'm looking for an internship or job that will give me some first-hand experience in the real world," said LSA sophomore Katy Weiks.

Students said they are glad CP&P provides these career planning services.

"I thought this job fair was a good way for students to see what options were available to them," said LSA junior Shirin Khan, who interviewed for business internships with Ameritech and AAA management. "There was a large variety of companies offering consulting and management positions, which is what I am interested in."

Employers were equally excited about finding prospective employees.

"There were many impressive, eager and ambitious students here today and we received a lot of high-quality candidates for positions to be filled," said Michelle Warren, a representative of Accountemps, a finance corporation located in Ann Arbor. "This has always been a very successful job fair."

In addition to organizing job fairs, Lawson said CP&P offers students a wide range of career services, including assistance with writing resumes, applying to graduate school and obtaining jobs.

"This is a big event, but it is certainly not the only thing we do," Lawson said. "We are available to students for any career-related issue."

02-19-98